Terms of Reference

Ashby Church of England Primary School

terms of referenCE of the Governing Body

2025/26

General guidance – Terms of Reference

For the School Year 2025/26, the Governing Body have decided to manage affairs without the establishment of Committees; all business shall be conducted through the Full Meeting of the Governing Body.

While not a replacement for more detailed understanding of governance responsibilities, the following provides a framework reflective of the structure previously managed through a Committee structure.

Financial Policy and Planning

• To review, adopt and monitor a Finance Policy which includes the local scheme of delegation for spending and budgetary adjustments (virements) for the committee, Head Teacher and other nominated staff.
• To review, adopt and monitor all additional financial policies, including a charging and remissions policy.
• To establish and maintain a five year financial plan, taking into the account priorities of the School Improvement Plan, roll projection and signals from central government regarding future years’ budgets, within the constraints of available information.
• To draft and propose to the governing body for adoption an annual school budget taking into account the priorities of the School Improvement Plan.
• To make decisions in respect of service level agreements.
• To ensure that sufficient funds are set aside for pay increments as set out in the Pay Policy and as recommended by the Head Teacher.

Financial Monitoring

• To monitor the income and expenditure throughout the year of all delegated and devolved funds against the annual budget plan.
• To receive at least termly budget monitoring reports from the Head Teacher.
• To approve any budgetary adjustments that will from time to time be necessary in response to the evolving requirements of the school.

Staffing

• To ensure that the school is staffed sufficiently for the fulfilment of the school‘s development plan and the effective operation of the school.
• To establish and oversee the operation of the school's Appraisal Policy - including the arrangements and operation of the school's appraisal procedures for the Headteacher.
• To establish a Pay Policy for all categories of staff.
• To be responsible for the administration and review of the Pay Policy.
• To ensure that staffing procedures (including recruitment procedures) follow equalities legislation.
• To annually review procedures for dealing with staff discipline and grievances and make recommendations to the governing body for approval.
• To monitor approved procedures for staff discipline and grievance and ensure that staff are kept informed of these.
• To recommend to the governing body staff selection procedures, ensuring that they conform with safer recruitment practice, and to review these procedures as necessary.
• In consultation with staff, to oversee any process leading to staff reductions.
• To establish the annual and longer-term salary budgets and other costs relating to personnel, e.g. training. 

Health & Safety and Premises

• To ensure that an annual inspection of the premises and grounds takes place and a report is received identifying any issues.
• To set out a proposed order of priorities for maintenance and development, for the approval of the governing body.
• To arrange professional surveys and emergency work as necessary.  - The Head Teacher is authorised to commit expenditure without the prior approval of the committee in any emergency where delay would result in further damage or present a risk to the health and safety of pupils or staff. In this event the Head Teacher would normally be expected to consult the committee chair at the earliest opportunity.
• To create a project committee where necessary to oversee any major developments.
• To establish and keep under review an Accessibility Plan and a Building Development Plan.
• To review, adopt and monitor a Health and Safety Policy.
• To ensure that the governing body's responsibilities regarding litter, refuse and dog excrement are discharged according to Section 89 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, so far as is practicable

Information Management

• To ensure all statutory requirements for reporting and publishing information are met and the school website content is fully compliant and presented in an accessible way.
• Make sure the school complies with the Freedom of Information Act 2000
• Make sure the school complies with the UK General Data Protection Regulations (UK GDPR)

 Curriculum Planning and Delivery

• To review, monitor and evaluate the curriculum offer.
• To approval the Self-evaluation Form, School Improvement Plan and targets for improvement to the governing body.
• To develop and review policies identified within the school’s policy review programme and in accordance with its delegated powers (e.g. sex education and pupil behaviour/discipline).
• To ensure that the requirements of children with special needs are met, as laid out in the Code of Practice, and receive termly reports from the Head Teacher/SENCO and an annual report from the SEN governor(where appointed).

 Assessment and Improvement 

• To monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of leadership and management.
• To monitor and evaluate the impact of quality of teaching on rates of pupil progress and standards of achievement
• To monitor and evaluate rates of progress and standards of achievement by pupils, including any underachieving groups.
• To monitor and evaluate the impact of continuing professional development on improving staff performance.
• To set priorities for improvement, and monitor and evaluate the impact of improvement plans which relate to the committee’s area of operation.
• To monitor and evaluate provision for all groups of vulnerable children (e.g. looked after children) and ensure all their needs have been identified and addressed, and to evaluate their progress and achievement.
• To regularly review and develop the Assessment Policy and to ensure that the policy is operating effectively.
• To consider recommendations from external reviews of the school (e.g. Ofsted or local school improvement advisers), agree actions as a result of reviews and evaluate regularly the implementation of the plan.
• To ensure that all children have equal opportunities.
• To consider the relative funding priorities necessary to deliver the curriculum.

Engagement

• To monitor the school’s publicity, public presentation and relationships with the wider community.
• To identify and celebrate pupil achievements.
• To oversee arrangements for educational visits, including the appointment of a named co-ordinator.

Terms of Reference for the Pay Committee

• Making sure the appraisal policy is robust and has as little impact as possible on teachers' workloads
• Making sure your policy links performance to pay and can be applied consistently and objectively
• Considering and approving the recommendations of the senior leadership team about awarding performance-related pay progression
• Monitoring the outcomes of pay decisions
• Checking that processes operate fairly
• Being aware of the impact that pay decisions have on the school's budget
• Making sure pay appeals are managed in line with the school pay and appraisal policies